Page 83 of Five Years

Leah ignored his question. “Why have I just been cc’d on an email from HR requesting info for a new advisor?”

Douglas shook his head.

“Tell me it’s not my Ariana?”

He didn’t respond.

“Dad? What did you do?”

“I was hoping I might have the chance to discuss it with you before word got out.” He rubbed his forehead.

“What the hell, Dad? You hired Ariana?”

“She came to see me before you arrived in town. I figured it wouldn’t matter—you didn’t seem keen on the city. Ariana is one of the best financial advisors I’ve seen in a long time. She’d be an asset to the business. But then she had a long notice period at her current company, so I kept looking. When we put the ad out last month, she showed interest again, so I met with her.”

“Wait, is that why she was using one of our conference rooms a few weeks ago?”

“Yes. We had a conversation about it.”

“What did you offer her?” Leah demanded.

“Why does that matter?”

“Because it matters.” Her voice was tight with frustration.

Douglas sighed sharply, rubbing his temple as if a headache was already forming.

“It was a good business decision, Leah.”

“You’re not answering my question.” Leah shot back.

“I offered a 20% signing bonus.” His voice was firm now.

“Twenty percent! Are you kidding me? That’s way above what you were willing to offer the candidates I pre-screened.”

“I don’t mean to be harsh, but my job is to make decisions for the business, sweetheart—not for your feelings. Ariana is reliable and skilled. She’s a huge win for us.”

Leah clenched her hands into fists. “I can’t believe this.”

“You’re letting personal history cloud your judgment, Leah.” His tone hardened.

“When did you offer her the 20% signing bonus?”

“A couple of weeks ago.”

“And has she signed the agreement?”

“Yes.”

“When?”

“The same day you left to meet her for pizza after work. I was going to tell you, but I figured she wanted to do it herself.”

“How could I have been so stupid?” Leah’s voice cracked, emotion catching in her throat.

“I don’t understand?” Douglas placed a comforting hand on his daughter’s arm. “What is it?”

Leah was silent for a moment, the sting of betrayal hitting hard. It all made sense now.